Are you fed up? Have you given every little thing that you had? A glimpse into the office coffee machine is enough to give you cold sweats?
Take a deep breath, it happens to everyone. The important thing is to recognize the signs and be ready to act on them. Before you quit, ponder some factors:
What is the reason you feel this way?
Hasty decisions are often a byproduct of those moments when we feel down or upset. It is important that you reflect on the real reasons that have motivated your decision. Is it something you can change? Tiny adjustments sometimes can lead to a totally different experience. Do you really want to move on? Is there anything you can address on your own?
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Be informed about your rights and duties.
If you are thinking about knocking on your office’s door and make a big farewell parade overnight, you better think twice – you need to inform your company about your intentions to leave 2 months in advance, or you will end up running the risk of paying compensation to them for those 2 months. When you resign, you are not entitled to compensation or to many of the benefits encompassed in a dismissal process initiated by the company. Several factors must be considered when making this decision, one of the most important is the whole set of dismissal-related legal processes. Don’t be taken by surprise!
Act the right way.
Some time ago, our prime minister, Duarte Fernandes, wrote a great piece on the right way to leave a company.
This is obvious… but the truth is that some things are so blatantly obvious that we don’t even pay attention to them. Don’t even consider declaring your intentions by email or phone. They will think you lack the courage to tell them the news personally. Do you really want to be that person?
You must do it in a private place, only you and your headship/boss. When you get to the office that day, walk to your boss and tell him, “Boss, I need to talk to you today. Do you have 10 minutes?”
If you can ask for that small meeting one to two days in advance, that’s even better, but don’t postpone it longer than that.
Talk first to your headship and let them decide how you should proceed when it comes to informing your colleagues and formalizing the process with Human Resources.
If you happen to have different headships, my advice is to talk to the one who “has more power” or the one who has been the most responsible for your management. Nonetheless, common sense is key.
Gather contacts and information.
Before you leave, make sure you don’t miss a single opportunity. Talk to your colleagues about potential opportunities and take advantage of valuable feedback that may allow you to evolve professionally and personally.
Research the market.
People often go to an interview without knowing exactly how much the market is paying for their position. To take advantage of this, use our salary calculator to avoid taking a “shot in the dark” when asked about your salary expectations.
You must know how much you deserve!
Update your CV and personal branding.
I know, you have just quit your job, and the last thing you want to think about is the stress that comes with updating the CV. But don’t look at it as a simple update and nothing more. Look at things in hindsight and come up with our conclusions from how you evolved in your last position, since, even more important than the position you had, is the experience and lessons you were able to extract from it. After this, you can simply update your LinkedIn profile and use a tool that generates a profile-based CV, such as Resumonk.
Simple and efficient!
Relax and carefully consider the next step.
One of the worst feelings that may emerge when you quit a job is anxiety. The urge to find something new takes hold of us and makes us plunge into the very first opportunity. Ignore this feeling. Properly reflect on the reasons that led you to leave – what you liked the most, what you enjoyed the least – everything that was part of your former job and then create a list of personal needs for your next challenge. These can be something like a good balance between life and the office, more vacation days or the possibility of working from home. Don’t be afraid to declare what you want. That’s the only way to make sure the next job will be better than the last.
In a nutshell, ponder everything properly before you decide, measure every factor that has led you into this moment and carefully make a decision on your next step. Keep in mind that the market is always small during these moments and a misjudged step can hurt you in the future. If you take the right step, you will be happier and more fulfilled.
